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CU loses $1M donation over future of Conference on World Affairs

Tensions arise in new director's first year

By Sarah Kuta

Staff Writer

Posted:
04/04/2015 12:05:00 PM MDT

Updated:
04/06/2015 06:28:33 AM MDT

John Griffin, director of the Conference on World Affairs, listens to discussion during a training seminar for CWA volunteers on the University of Colorado campus Tuesday. (Paul Aiken / Staff Photographer)

A dispute over the future of the Conference on World Affairs may have cost the University of Colorado a $1 million donation, prompting criticism of the CWA's new leader.

The annual five-day conference, held on CU's Boulder campus for 66 years, brings together experts, advocates, academics, artists and others from around the world for free panels, performances and other events.

The conference, which draws tens of thousands of audience members of all ages, had been on track to launch a $5 million endowment campaign last fall with political science professor John Griffin as its new director.

Now Griffin is accused of derailing those endowment talks and alienating some donors, staff members and community members.

Those involved with the CWA say Griffin has hinted at big changes to come but has been secretive about his future plans.

They worry that the university may someday charge admission to the free event and focus less on bringing the world to Boulder by inviting locals to speak on panels.

"The conference the Boulder community knows and loves is on the verge of collapse," said Bryan New, a former CWA staffer who quit in December.

"It seems the combination of unfamiliarity with the conference and the understandable concerns over campus-wide funding challenges have caused ... administrators to mistakenly consider the CWA as something that must be narrowly defined, repaired, regulated and remade into just another institutionalized, sterile conference," according to the letter.

Anna Larsson attaches the UN flag to a pole on Saturday with Jake Findley, left, as they prepare flags of over 190 countries for display at the Conference on World Affairs at the University of Colorado. (David R. Jennings / Staff Photographer)

For Griffin's part, he said the conference is on track to have a record-breaking fundraising year.

He acknowledged that this is a transition year and said he's optimistic about the future of the CWA. His goals this year have been to expand the CWA's circle of input, find new revenue sources and expand faculty and student involvement.

"There are always tensions in planning a huge event with a lot of moving parts with passionate people who have a long association with that event," he said. "It's my first year in this role, and I'm working to get my bearings and to bring energy and dedication to the role of director and some new ideas. That will take some getting used to, I'm sure."

Founding principles

The CWA was founded in 1948 as a free, public event that promised to bring the world to Boulder. That meant no admission fee for audience members and no participants from Colorado.

The annual gathering, which has included participants such as Roger Ebert, Patch Adams and Eleanor Roosevelt, was also founded as a town-gown partnership.

Participants pay their own way, speak for free and often stay in Boulder residents' guest bedrooms. The CWA's paid staff is small, so hundreds of student and community volunteers help organize the event.

What results is an atmosphere unique to the "conference on everything conceivable," as Ebert called it — a week of uncensored, meaningful interactions among people from all political persuasions and walks of life.

"We want people to kind of land here on Mars," said former director Jim Palmer during a Daily Camera interview last year. "They've left their jobs behind, they've left their daily routines behind. It's like a big retreat or mind-camp."

Lost endowment

Last year, campus funding made up 62 percent of the conference's $486,000 budget, with the rest coming from gifts.

In the face of rising tuition and declining state support, CU has been rethinking spending that isn't focused strictly on students.

Two years ago, CWA and university officials began talking about an endowment that could ensure the financial future of the conference.

Jim Palmer, former director of the Conference on World Affairs, makes a point at a training seminar for CWA volunteers Tuesday. Palmer, still involved as a volunteer, said the CWA now appears to be "besieged from within the university." (Paul Aiken / Staff Photographer)

Boulder civic activist, philanthropist and CWA chairwoman Jane Butcher — who has been involved with the conference for decades — offered to spearhead the fundraising effort.

She planned to donate $1 million to the cause, and she wanted to tie her gift to the conference's founding principles — such as its free admission and its commitment to inviting only out-of-state panelists. When she got pushback from Griffin last fall, Butcher walked away.

Butcher said she was reluctant to speak out about the situation because she wanted people to remain focused on the conference.

"As a long-time lover of the conference, I offered to make a lead gift of $1 million to kick off an endowment campaign to raise $5 million for the conference," Butcher said. "It is also true that this gift is off the table now due to the lack of acceptance of CWA's founding principles."

Griffin, who became director last summer, denied being at odds over the founding principles. He said he appreciates Butcher's years of service and looks forward to working with her in the future.

"Jane and I have had a regular dialogue since I assumed this position June 1," Griffin said. "Never over the last nine months have I said, nor has she expressed a concern to me, nor has the university ... suggested that the CWA will begin to charge those who attend. This just has not been an issue whatsoever. Whether our speakers will continue to be brought from outside Colorado has similarly not been a point of discussion this year."

He said he sees "no urgency" to consider charging for admission and feels the conference has achieved a "high level of success" by inviting participants from outside of Colorado.

"Any decision to alter the traditions of the conference even in the most gradual way will be a discussion in which all those who care about the conference will have the opportunity to be heard," he said.

Still, when asked, Chancellor DiStefano wasn't ready to commit to keeping the conference free in perpetuity.

"I don't want to say that we'd never, never charge because I think we have to have a plan for some sort of external revenue coming in," he said. "I'd much rather look at sponsorships and working with vendors and private funding before going to charging. That would be very low on my list of priorities."

As for inviting Colorado participants to the conference, DiStefano said he was open to the idea.

"I'm not suggesting we change it today, but I sometimes think that maybe we should limit it to a small percentage of Colorado speakers," he said. "I do think we have some real talent in the state, and if they're in the state, why not invite them to the conference? It just makes sense to me."

'We don't need saving'

Money aside, some volunteers feel Griffin is taking the conference in the wrong direction.

In the past, the conference has been a collaborative effort built on relationships. The small paid staff, including the director, genuinely consulted volunteers along the way, said Bob McClendon, a volunteer who attended his first CWA panel in 1957.

"It was a very open, transparent organization where everyone had an opportunity to give their input," said McClendon, 77. "That has stopped. People don't feel comfortable bringing up ideas or suggestions or taking initiative. (Griffin) wants to be in control."

McClendon and others said they've heard Griffin say the conference is broken and he plans to fix it. He's open to new ideas, but on the whole, McClendon said he feels the conference has been wildly successful.

"He wants to be the savior," McClendon said. "We don't need saving."

McClendon said Griffin has created a "climate of fear" within the conference community, a feeling echoed by CU senior Annika Erickson-Pearson, who chairs a new interim advisory committee.

"There's a baseline incompatibility," she said. "There's just a mismatch of values. It's a unique organization, and I definitely get that. But it's really threatening to see someone come in and not feel like they respect the integrity of the organization for what it is."

Several people involved with the conference commented on Griffin's lack of communication. Though he's been asked to articulate his vision for the conference, Griffin has stayed mostly silent, aside from hinting that some mysterious changes are on the way.

Palmer is still actively involved with the conference as a volunteer. He said he's puzzled by Griffin's reliance on administrators and CWA outsiders for advice, rather than looking inside the organization for guidance.

He understands that large organizations like the CWA need to evolve and grow, but Palmer and others worry that the conference will become unrecognizable.

"The conference seems to be besieged from within the university in ways that I don't quite understand because it is so clearly an outstanding outreach for the university," Palmer said.

'Refreshing' change

Griffin acknowledged that he's a "hands-on" director.

This summer, he is launching a strategic planning process that includes community feedback and will help the conference formulate a vision and mission.

Griffin said he'd like to focus on improving the CWA's impact on the community. He said he'd like to help people get involved in a topic or issue they learned about during a CWA panel discussion. He's also considering a student grant program for projects involving a topic tackled at the conference.

He's piloting several new initiatives, including one that brings participants into the classroom during the week of the conference.

Though he's new to the conference, Griffin said he hopes to earn the trust of those involved.

"I value all of the people who contribute time, ideas, money and more to make the CWA happen every year," he said. "The sense of community that the conference creates is one of its unique and special qualities."

George Deriso, a lecturer in the Leeds School of Business who's been involved with the CWA for 17 years, said he's had a positive experience working with Griffin and that others may be less open to change.

"I've found him to be open and receptive to suggestions," said Deriso, 62.

It's unclear what the future holds for the CWA.

The chancellor's office has been temporarily overseeing the conference after it was removed from the College of Arts and Sciences last fall.

The CWA will likely end up in Continuing Education, though when that will happen hasn't been decided, the chancellor said.

As for its leadership, DiStefano said he thinks Griffin is doing a "very good job."

Bob Yates, 54, said he finds Griffin's leadership to be refreshing.

"Things are going really well, and I'm very optimistic about the future," said Yates, a six-year volunteer. "John is very interested in hearing lots of different opinions and suggestions. And that process of democracy can sometimes be messy. That's a healthy thing for any organization to always be hearing opinions of its constituents and be willing to consider and try out new ideas."

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